


Hogwarts Mystery - A Cautionary Tale

by Spreest



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, Jacob has two younger sisters now, The way things develop are going to differ from the game to keep things spicy!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-06-27 22:30:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19799062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spreest/pseuds/Spreest
Summary: While Jasmine and AJ are on the lookout for their missing brother Jacob, it occurs to them that they are finding themselves along the way. Or are they? Getting knocked back by unfortunate circumstances as well as the troubles of school and trying not to break the rules, they certainly get a lot of attention from the other students.





	1. Prologue

* * * 

Dear Jasmine,

I hope you never have to read this letter, because if you do, it means I’m gone. You know, in the way Jacob is gone. I didn’t know how much I took after him until my first year at Hogwarts and frankly, it’s been frightening me ever since. 

Yes, you used to try and comfort me by saying that siblings often get sorted into the same houses, so it wasn’t unusual that I’m a Gryffindor like him. There is something I have never told you about me, Jazzy. My wand is near identical to Jacob’s, the only difference you will find is that mine is a quarter of an inch longer. Something like that doesn’t just happen to siblings. 

I believe I am cursed and something terrible is going to happen to me, like it did to him. Sometimes I feel very weird, as though something is wrong with me, as though I have a sort of raw, unhinged force in my heart that is neither good nor evil, though it has to be formed in some sort of way. And I assume that the only one with the ability to give it form is me. I really don’t think it’s normal to feel this way, even with everything we’ve went through, yet I try and push forward, since that is the only way I can keep myself from whatever happened to our older brother.

If I do go missing, I need you to gather your closest friends as well as mine to open the remaining Cursed Vaults. You will find clues for our whereabouts. If you should only find Jacob, tell him everything and push on until our family is happily reunited or you have clarity about our deaths.

No matter what happens, please remember that we love you and believe in you. You’re a gifted witch, a little like me, a little like Jacob - not enough to get you into danger, I hope. I can’t confirm you are free of any curses, but I have always done my everything to keep you safe and sane and will continue to do so until I take my last breath.

Love, Ada-June Tinsley  
Bexhill-on-Sea, the 14th of July 1988

* * *


	2. Hogwarts Express Banter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasmine reunites with her best friend Rowan on the Hogwarts Express.

“Ex-... Excuse me, is that seat taken?”

Jasmine struggled to hold her luggage in place without spilling it all over the floor, huffing and puffing under the weight that easily rivaled that of her own body. She looked at the girl sitting in the cabin she had just entered, dark-haired, light reflecting off of her glasses. Her fingers, which had been about to turn the page of the book she was reading stopped mid-motion as she looked up to face Jasmine. It only took a second for recognition to flood her facial features, bringing a warm smile to her lips. The kind of smile one inevitably got upon seeing a best friend again, after a summer that had felt like an eternity.

“Of course not! Sit down, Jasmine! Here, let me help you…”  
“Thank you, Rowan…”  
Immediately, Rowan took the bulky birdcage from Jasmine’s left hand and helped her pull her trolley inside the cabin. It took both their efforts to lift it into the space that was reserved for suitcases, trolleys, backpacks… whatever people used for bringing their wizarding and personal essentials into Hogwarts. Once the trolley was secure, Rowan lifted the cage, which held a only now protesting brown barn owl. Quite obviously, she didn’t like the sway of her cage her owner’s friend had accidentally added. Rowan gave the animal an apologetic look. “You might want to keep Ricochet next to you, she seems like she’s in need of treats.” Jasmine nodded and took her owl from her best friend, thanking her yet again, while Ricochet screeched what could probably only be translated as curses at Rowan.

Finally Jasmine settled into the cushions of the seat and took a deep breath, not laboured anymore, just relieved. From the pocket of her robe, she retrieved some dried mealworms to feed to Ricochet - her owl companion had always had a temper, but it seemed to get worse every time the two of them got onto the Hogwarts Express. Jasmine made fun about it to her friends, calling it a ‘rebellious teenage phase’ in which her pet didn’t want to come back to school with her.

Rowan was meanwhile busy putting a colorful bookmark into the book she had been reading. She was like a sponge when it came to knowledge, absorbing it and storing it for later use - something Jasmine admired about her. She often silently wished to have a photographic memory like that as well. Not that she was dumb, no, it was just that no one was quite as smart as Rowan. Or at least no one she knew of, with the exception of the professors teaching them.

“How was your summer?”, Rowan asked curiously to spark up a conversation. One of her hands went to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Jasmine could see the corners of her eyes crinkle from how much she was smiling in anticipation of returning to school and hopefully also because of their reunion.

“Oh, you know.” Jasmine shrugged, the contagious smile making its way onto her face now. “It was the usual. AJ dragged me to the beach, or wanted to go shopping, when we weren’t helping mom out with the business.” For a moment, Jasmine started thinking back to the fond memories of this summer. Her sister AJ hooting and hollering as soon as she dove into the cold waves of the sea, with Jasmine laughing and following soon thereafter. Both of them in their mother’s greenery, potting plants, fertilizing and watering them - or in the store front, selling the soaps and teas among other things and potion ingredients to their customers, the sisters cracking small jokes with them as they worked. 

And then there were moments she didn’t tell anyone about, not AJ, not even Rowan, where she would sit in her room, just talking to Ricochet, wondering what life would be like if Jacob was still around them. Jasmine had still been so small, so young, when he vanished, but she remembered him, the way he looked and acted. He was caring and loving with every single member of the family and every ounce of his being, talking fondly of his first and second year at Hogwarts… They had to find him this year. AJ and her had to press on, because something told Jasmine that Jacob was still alive somewhere out there.

She hadn’t even noticed how fast the memory of Jacob had made her smile drop, but Rowan’s understanding and reassuring look made Jasmine aware of the fact that her best friend knew where her thoughts had been taking her. Maybe a change of topic was best.

“It feels like forever since I’ve last seen you. How was your summer? And did you start growing your hair out more?” Although Rowan gave her another worried look, she accepted the fact that this wasn’t something the two of them were going to speak about right now. Her hand went to a strand of her black hair which reached way past her shoulders now. “Just a little bit, nothing too crazy.” She seemed to appreciate the fact that Jasmine had taken note of that slight change in appearance regarding her. But then again, the two of them spent most of the school years together, they were pretty much attached at the hip, ever since both of them got sorted into Hufflepuff.

“My summer was pretty standard. I read my books and sometimes I had to help out my parents as well. There are so many Bowtruckles on the farm this year, you wouldn’t even believe it! I’m pretty sure I made friends with at least two or three of them!” Rowan’s eyes sparkled at that. The Khanna family farm sold wood for brooms and wands, a fact that their family’s only daughter took great pride in. She wasn’t one for the practical hands-on work that was needed to provide the wood to possible buyers, but she knew every tree on the farm and found solace in forests. “And then of course, I’ve visited some family, and they told me that I was turning into a proper young lady and they were just so… proud of me. It was really nice.”

Jasmine nodded and listened with a smile on her face. Her best friend was practically radiating happiness and joy, which in turn made her even happier. Good for Rowan, she certainly deserved all the best things. 

“Speaking of family, where is your sister?”, said best friend inquired. Jasmine rolled her eyes and puffed her cheeks. Oh, as if she didn’t know. Before she could even formulate an answer, Rowan laughed quietly. “Andre Egwu?” Jasmine nodded in defeat. It wasn’t like she didn’t like Andre, he was definitely a great guy and easier to get along with than some other students. It was just that once he was around, she easily felt like the third wheel, even though AJ and Andre tried to prevent that by offering her makeovers, asking her about her specific opinions on current trends or something along those lines. Andre had even tried the Quidditch route, asking if Jasmine had seen a recent game. No. She hadn’t. She wasn’t exactly a big fan of Quidditch or fashion and found the topics tiring to listen to, and declined the makeovers as kindly as possible. “Maybe one day.” She would say, and Andre would scrunch up his nose, staring down at her feet. Socks and sandals, yes, Jasmine knew it was a fashion faux-pas. But it was warm and comfortable, right? That was what she was all about, and it happened to be the point where their opinions drifted apart.

Jasmine was fine with the way she looked, her hair being a chocolate brown, and her eyes blue like the sea, although hidden behind glasses with a thin blue frame. Freckles were peppered across her nose and upper cheeks, a contrast against her pale skin. She was also fine with many of her ‘bold’ fashion choices, like turning thin blankets into robes or… well, socks with sandals. Sometimes the socks happened to look particularly funky too. Rowan knew that and didn’t even bat an eye when it came to it, which was a lot easier to handle than some people’s clear disgust.

“Hey, are you still with me?”   
Rowan’s voice brought Jasmine back into the cabin she was sitting in. “I asked if you are ready to continue looking for your brother.” Her tone turned soft at the mention of him. Jasmine rubbed her hands together, all of a sudden they felt so cold. Even Ricochet perked up again. “I think so. He’s my brother after all, if I was missing instead, I know he’d do anything to find me. Besides, I’m not on my own in this matter.” Jasmine forced a smile, but she felt as though the weight of the world was on her shoulders all of a sudden. Something told her that things weren’t going to get any easier from this point on.


	3. Turn The Page

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Opening Ceremony greets AJ with some old friends and new developments.

AJ could feel adrenaline coursing through her system, it was rushing to her brain and didn’t let her feel anything other than the pounding of her heartbeat against her ribcage as she stood atop the stairs in the front of the Great Hall. Even with the sheer mass of all of Hogwarts’ students in it, it still managed to feel warm and homely in the light of the torches and candles. Then again though - Hogwarts had been her home for the best part of the last four years. What other choice than returning for a fifth did she have? 

AJ grinned, well, in her head she did. Her outward expression was just a regular smile, after all she was standing where everyone could see her and the rest of the Frog Choir. Her index finger nervously fondled one of the golden tassels on the red pillow her toad Tiberius - or Tibs for short - was sitting. He certainly seemed calm, unlike last year, where she had narrowly avoided him jumping to the floor mid-song. 

Suddenly, AJ felt an elbow dig into her side harshly, bringing her back into reality as she bit back the pain from the nudge. She turned to her right, where she was only momentarily met with a glare that must have meant something along the lines of ‘Pull yourself together, Tinsley, you’re making the whole Choir look bad’. Merula Snyde was, quite frankly, a bastard, AJ thought as she shot a glare of her own back… Too late. Merula was already focused on their Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, who was preparing to start his speech. Ah, so that was the reason for the elbow in her side. Fair enough, she could start thinking about payback later.

“Welcome to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and welcome back to those of you who have already spent a year or more here. I hope you are all having a wonderful evening.”

It was incredible how easily the Professor could quiet down the students and make them listen to him. The First-Years looked a bit pale and weren’t very talkative, granted, but the rest of the students were reconnecting, having missed each other and probably told anecdotes from a summer well-spent. AJ herself wanted nothing more than to talk to all of her friends right now, give them a big bear hug - which she was surprisingly good at, despite being the tiniest fifth year around - and hear about what they had been up to. Patience, she told herself.

“I would like to take this opportunity to let you know that we have once more extended our staff. From this year on, Madam Patricia Rakepick will be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts.”

The students’ applause echoed through the hall and AJ glanced over at the new professor, a middle-aged woman with soft ginger curls. Well, anything was better than the professor they had had before - he had never taught anyone anything important, from what AJ knew. Where once upon a time she had looked forward to learning how to defend herself against anything that wanted to harm her, that flame was burning down faster than she would like it to. Maybe this year could change that. She wasn’t particularly worried about herself either, she felt like ultimately she would be fine upon encountering a Boggart or a Dementor, but she worried about Jasmine. She couldn’t lose another sibling, she wouldn’t be able to bear it - and her search for Jacob would only end upon her encountering him either dead or alive. Hopefully the latter.

“Last year, another one of the Cursed Vaults has been opened, as many of you may know, and brought a plague of Boggarts to Hogwarts. This problem has since been contained, the safety of each and every one of you is of the utmost importance. At this very moment, some details concerning your schedules are still up in the air, but I will make sure to fix them in the best way I can, so you enjoy your education and time at Hogwarts.”

AJ had been spacing out a bit and missed most of the speech, until Professor Dumbledore announced that the Frog Choir would perform in honour of the new school year. Okay, this was where she had to spring into action. The girl looked down at Professor Flitwick, who conducted the choir, her heart swelling with a sudden bout of pride as soon as he gave them their cue.

“Double, double, toil and trouble  
Fire burn and cauldron bubble  
Double, double, toil and trouble  
Something wicked this way comes!”

She knew her friends’ eyes were on her, even though she couldn’t spot most of them due to the sheer number of students. Tonks stuck out like a sore thumb with her pink hair, so at least there was that, and AJ was pretty sure that she could see Bill Weasley at the Gryffindor table, but that was only due to the sheer size of the lad. Where Andre, Badeea, Tulip and Jasmine were, she had no idea, but she knew they were proud of her in that very moment. It didn’t matter that she had to stand next to Merula right now, everyone in the Frog Choir was harmonizing in a near perfect fashion. Sopranos and Altos and Tenors and Basses. They were impressive, if AJ did think so herself.

Their overall performance went well and the applause echoing once more through the Great Hall made AJ feel invincible, if only for a few seconds. Two songs later, the Choir disassembled and everyone returned to their respective tables for the Opening Feast. It was time for the First-Years to get sorted into their Houses - and for AJ to finally get some food into her stomach. Oh hey, there was a spot open on the bench next to one of her friends, actually!

“Mind if I sit here?”   
Jae Kim shook his head, his cheeks stuffed with food. Knowing him, he’d probably smuggle some of the feast into the Gryffindor common room. AJ swung her legs over the bench and sat down, loading her plate full of food and sharing some of it with Tibs. He deserved it, he had done just great. Jae looked over at her, grinning. “Good to see you again, since I probably actually need someone to copy Defence Against the Dark Arts notes from this year.” 

AJ rolled her eyes. What a sweet welcome! Not that she had expected any less from him. “I’ve got you covered.” She simply let him know before returning to her meal. Jae was the kind of friend who didn’t mind hanging out in silence with AJ. She had brought it up once, asking if that wasn’t boring to him, but he just let her know that sometimes talking was just too much work. Everything was too much work really. 

He was constantly stuck in detention, and she was-... well, sometimes she got into trouble, but that was only because she had to find her brother and keep her sister safe. Hey, at least she had managed to do the latter for the last three years. She was ready to make it a fourth. At least one of them should have a more pleasant Hogwarts experience. AJ heard Tibs let out a deep ‘ribbit’, he was just casually letting her know that he was still hungry. At least he knew better than to jump right onto her plate. Jasmine had helped her train him well.

“If you think about it, being a toad would be the life”, Jae commented, his brows raised. “You can just sit on a comfy pillow all day, get food, take a nap…” He reached over and pet Tibs’ head carefully. “...And even sing if you want. Not that I’d want to do that.” AJ shrugged and let out a quiet chuckle. “Some toads don’t like to sing. Tibs just happens to do.” This was the kind of smalltalk she could get behind, and as she was getting fuller from the food, she felt increasingly lazy. Meanwhile, Jae was bonding some more with Tiberius. Eventually he looked over at her. 

“Hey AJ?”  
“Yeah?”  
“When people say my name, can I still pretend like I thought they said yours?”  
“You’ll do it anyway.”


End file.
